Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
A radiotherapy system includes multiple electronic components that are configured to control system parameters, for example, axis motion, beam generation, and power distribution. The electronic components are usually located adjacent to the elements that they control to minimize the number of cables routed through the radiotherapy system or the amount of noise picked up that may occur in long cables.
Such an arrangement (i.e., the electronic components located adjacent to the elements that they control) becomes an issue when the radiotherapy system is configured to deliver a relatively high energy radiation (e.g., above 12 MV). At this energy level, neutrons are generated, and they may interact with the electronic components. Such interactions may create internal transients that cause bit flips. For microprocessors, the effect of such bit flips is significant and undesirable.
In addition, unlike existing systems in other high neutron flux industries (e.g., military and aerospace), a radiotherapy system is normally located less than a few tens of meters from a location having normal neutron levels. Thus, the existing systems are inadequate to address at least the challenges that are associated with the close proximity between such a normal flux area (also sometimes referred to as a console area) and the radiotherapy system.